Unbeaten American receives Vasily Lomachenko's IBF lightweight world title

The IBF have promoted Interim champion Raymond Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) to their full lightweight world champion following Vasiliy Lomachenko's retirement on June 5th, 2025.

The governing body released the following statement on June 9th:

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) received official notification on June 5, that Vasily Lomachenko was retiring from the sport of boxing, thereby relinquishing his title as IBF Lightweight World Champion. The IBF is proud and honored to count Mr. Lomachenko among its roster of former champions. His achievements in the ring, as both a professional and an amateur, are truly exceptional. He has built a legacy marked by determination, skill, and sportsmanship that will continue to inspire generations of fighters to come. We extend our sincere gratitude to Loma for his contributions to the sport and to the IBF. We wish him all the best and every success in his future endeavors.

Raymond Muratalla, formerly the IBF Interim Lightweight World Champion, has officially been elevated to full IBF Lightweight World Champion status. The scheduled elimination bout for the #1 position in the IBF Lightweight ratings between Andy Cruz and Hinonori Mishiro on June, 14, will determine the mandatory challenger who will face Muratalla in his first mandatory defense of the title.

It means that the undefeated Californian will only have to wait a few days to find out who his next opponent will be.

Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) is a Cuban who won three amateur world championships in a row between 2017-2021, and Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020. He won the IBF International lightweight title on his pro debut in July 2023 and has since defended it four times to reach IBF #3, which is their top-rated position.

Hinonori Mishiro () is IBF #5

The 28-year-old known as "Danger" only fought last month, on May 10th, against Zaur Abdullaev, winning the IBF Interim belt via unanimous decision in San Diego on the undercard of Emanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez.

Muratalla has also defeated the likes of Tevin Farmer, Diego Nunez, and Jeremia Nakathila.